So you've spent time practicing teaching a new command to your dog in the garden.
They do it in the living room when you show your family.
And sometimes at the park.
But do they do it in the rain?
At a fun dog show?
Around other dogs?
If the answer to any of the above is no, chances are you need to work more on proofing you commands.
What is proofing?
Proofing is the final stage of teaching a new command, making sure your dog knows to respond to it in different environments, with different distractions and at different distances.
The most common command people need to proof more is their Recall training.
So often people feel frustrated their dog knows their 'Come' or 'Here@ commands..... until there is another dog close by (the time you should be calling them back for manners to prevent unwanted greetings).
Think about the 3 D's of dog training:
Duration, Distance and Distraction
Raise and lower the criteria you ask of the dog depending on the situation.
If you have a good Down with Distance in you garden (low distraction environment), when you practice Down at the park with other dogs around (a high distraction environment) you will likely need to reduce the distance accordingly.
If you have a good Place with Duration in your living room (low distraction environment), when you practice Place at the café (a high distraction environment) you will likely need to reduce the duration accordingly. (IE take breaks or increase your rate of reinforcement by giving more treats).
The opportunity for education is everywhere.
Dogs don't generalize well. If the environment is always the same, they learn to behave only in that environment.
Rehearsing in more environments, with different distractions allows the dog to better generalise their commands in all situations you require.
So next time you go out for a walk, work on that Down command, or Sit command in a new place. Try on a bench or wall. Try outside a shop. Stop at a dog-friendly café or pub.
Spend a few minutes training your dogs on commands in a new environment and with new distractions every walk and hopefully you will start to see a difference.
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